Programs

Three ways we show up

Meals, shelter, and tutoring — each designed to meet a family where they are and walk with them to something steadier.

family sharing hot meal at long table
Meals

The Riverbend kitchen

Four nights a week, our doors open at five and no one is turned away. Alongside the suppers, our pantry sends families home with a full box of groceries every Saturday.

  • 18,400 meals served last winter
  • Saturday grocery boxes for 220 households
  • No paperwork, no questions — just a plate
Shelter

Warm beds project

Twelve transitional rooms above the old fire station give families a safe landing. A dedicated caseworker walks with each household — from that first night to the day they hold keys of their own.

  • 312 families housed this year
  • Average 40 days to permanent housing
  • One caseworker per family, start to finish
family settling into warm transitional room
mentor helping child with homework
Tutoring

After-school hearth

Every weekday afternoon, 94 kids arrive to a snack, a quiet table, and a mentor who believes in them. Homework first, then a little joy — art, chess, or just being heard.

  • 94 kids tutored every week
  • 38 trained volunteer mentors
  • 9 in 10 improved a full grade last year

The difference, in numbers

18,400

meals served

312

families housed

94

kids tutored weekly

220

active volunteers

Every program runs on people like you

Give, volunteer, or start a drive — pick the door that fits your season.

Bright Hearth

A community foundation feeding, sheltering, and tutoring neighbors in the Riverbend district since 2009.

Visit

  • 142 Riverbend Ave, Ashford
  • Kitchen open Tue–Fri, 5–8pm
  • Plan a visit

Follow along


© 2026 Bright Hearth Foundation. A registered 501(c)(3).

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